I receive many questions regarding art supplies and although I am trying to answer everything the best I can, I thought that it would be helpful to have a designated post (or two) with everything in one place. The information you’ll find here is based on my own personal experience and opinions, there is no “right way” or “magic product”. In fact, I think every artist finds his/hers way of expression through practice and time and things fall into place once you discover what works best for you.

If you are a beginner, getting the right supplies might be intimidating, so I will try to list some of the options that are out there, based on what I am personally using. Honestly, I don’t think you need a lot of materials to start with, you can begin with a basic color palette that you can mix and experiment with.

To me, the paint quality matters, but if you are not sure if you would like to invest and commit to it, you can always start with a students’ quality paint set rather than an artists’ quality set. Artists’ paint sets contain a higher concentration of pigments and have better permanence ratings, therefore the price is also quite high compared to the students’ quality paints that contain cheaper pigments and more fillers and extenders (making them more affordable).

For many years now I have been experimenting with all kinds of media (both digital and traditional) and art materials, and although I have been enjoying all of them, somehow I always found myself going back to watercolors as a main visual expression. However, I don’t feel limited by only using watercolors, so I will try to make a list of the things that you would find me working with in my studio.

1. WATERCOLORS. There are three main types of watercolors out there and I will talk a little bit about each.

{I am highly aware of the fact that I am not using my watercolors 100% in the traditional way of expression. The character of watercolors is one that is considered unpredictable, unexpected , spontaneous, one that encourages the artist to improvise and be surprised with some of the outcome. Although I am taking advantage of these unique qualities in some ways, I have the tendency to control the amount of color and water ratio, most of the times using more color than diluting it. On top of that, once in a while I lighten my colors with white. Because of these reasons, sometimes my paintings look more opaque, similar to gouache painting even if they aren’t.}.

a. PAN SET WATERCOLORS

Pan sets are probably the most convenient because they offer the basic colors (and more), they are easy to use and additionally portable which makes them great for traveling. They feel the most familiar to me because I remember using these Romanian pan sets of watercolors since kindergarten and school years (some of my Romanian fellows might relate to that). Also, if you usually paint smaller pieces you’ll probably find pans most suitable.

I have a Schmincke Horadam Aquarellwatercolor pan set (the 48 colors), but I ran out of most of the original colors long ago, so I have been slowly filling them back with the tube colors. I also have a few smaller pan sets such as L’AquarelleSennelier (these beautiful French watercolors are saturated, rich and HONEY based), a Yarka St. Petersburg pan set (also very beautiful, rich pigments) and an affordable student Winsor & Newton watercolor pan set, all perfect for painting on the go.

b. TUBE WATERCOLORS

These are the ones I use the most. They come in a larger quantity of one color and they are more convenient if you are using them for larger washes areas. They also come in many color options that you can buy separately, making it easier to personalize your own palette with just the paints you want. In terms of quality they don’t differ from the pan watercolors, but they are slightly harder to re-wet if they get dry on your palette. It’s easier to waste paint by squeezing out too much too, so I usually try to be careful about that.

I don’t feel like I have a “favorite” watercolor brand. My first professional pan set was Schmincke and I simply stuck with it. I experiment with many brands and they all have colors and pigments that I love. I also mix the different brands sometimes. I am using watercolor tubes from:

If you are just starting out, you can get a simple pan set or if you want to try the tube colors, you can get some of the primary colors and mix/experiment with those before investing in more colors. In the example below, I selected a few of my favorite basic colors: Scarlet red, Turner’s yellow and Prussian blue. You can build on and personalize your palette as you wish and the process of choosing colors ultimately comes down to personal preference.

You don’t necessary need white, in fact some watercolor artists consider it a discipline and challenge to use the white of the paper only. If you decide to use and mix the white watercolor with the other ones, you will notice that your colors will become more opaque and your paintings will feel more like gouache painting (just like I was explaining earlier). I personally use white quite often, but if that is not what you are looking for, just skip it. Again, your color choice depends on your specific work and preferences.

c. LIQUID WATERCOLORS

Fairly easy to use, liquid watercolors work as a concentrated fluid medium that goes a long way due to the strong pigments. I like their color richness, fluidity and vibrancy, but also the beautiful, paler hues they create when diluted. They come in sets or sold separately, so if you would like to give them a try, you can also buy the basic colors like the example above and have fun experimenting. I have been using the Dr. Ph. Martin’s Radiant Concentrated Watercolors for a few years now and my husband got me a new set for my birthday just recently.

2. BLEED PROOF WHITE

If I have larger areas of white on my drawing, I leave the white of the paper as is, but if I want to add smaller white details, I do so after everything else is dry. I am currently using this Dr.Ph. Martin’s Bleedproof White that one of my friends suggested a year ago and I love it. In the past I have used white acrylic inks or white gouache, but I prefer the first option because I feel is more opaque and gives a better coverage.

3. GOUACHE PAINTS

I used to work with them quite a lot in high-school + college for many of my school projects. While watercolors are transparent, gouache is a more opaque medium that forms a thicker layer of paint and gives the colors a much heavier texture than watercolors.

I use gouache in areas that I would like to have a more opaque/matt finish or on top of my paintings (once they are dry) to add details in a lighter, different color. I also like them because they enable me to remove mistakes and re-paint and their pigments are strong and opaque enough for painting on darker papers too.

Mainly used for calligraphy, I love using acrylic inks for brush lettering as well as dip pen nibs or brush drawings. I specially like the gold and copper colors for adding special effects here and there (like this Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent copper plate gold). They are also waterproof and lightfast/non-fading colors. Most of my acrylic inks are Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Water-Resistant Artists Inks.

A friend of mine, who does beautiful calligraphy work, introduced me to the Walnut Drawing Ink by Tom Norton Designs and I love it (brown tones are some of my favorite).

5. PENS, PENCILS + COLORED CRAYONS

Most of my illustrations start with a pencil and a piece of paper. I use all types of crayons and pencils when sketching in my sketchbook. On my final art pieces I use a very light pencil (like a H5, H4 etc) so the lines are easier to cover by color or not visible when scanning. I also like mechanical pens and this Kaweco brand is my favorite one. I use a lot of Sakura Pigma Micron Pens in black ink, they are bleed proof and I can draw on top of paintings or paint on top of the pen drawings with no smudge. Plus, the ink is permanent, acid free and archival quality. These MUJI Gel Ink Ballpoint Pens are also fun to use for sketchbook drawings and writing, but they take a bit longer to dry and smudge easier.

COLOR SWATCHES

I like “archiving” all my colors by creating small test swatches. They help me keep track of what I have and it is also helpful to figure out color combinations and suggestions when I am having a hard time deciding on chromatics. Some pan sets (like the Schmincke ones) come with a color chart paper where you can test your colors and keep it for reference.

I love art materials and being in an art supply store makes me all giddy, but they are all getting a good use since they are playing a big part in my work process.

You most definitely don’t need everything I listed in this post. As I said before, through practice, experiment and trying out materials you slowly discover what works best for you and what helps you express yourself best.

Without further ado, I hope this post can be helpful to some of you. If you are an artist yourself and would like to suggest/share anything please do! Also, if you do have any other questions, please write them down in the comments section.

I am planning to write about watercolor papers/sketchbooks and brushes in a separate post.

Xx ~ Oana

Note: This is not a sponsored post, I am simply sharing the art supplies I love using.

For those of you that are not into social media, here are a few updates of some of my latest projects and works in progress.

1 ~ I am not able to share more yet, but this little Pygmy Owl is part of a lovely little project that I have in the works right now. These are some of the tiniest owls in the world, measuring around 6-7 inches in length. Aren’t they so cute?

2 ~ I have been honored to illustrated the slip cover of Ellie Terry‘s new novel “Forget Me Not”. The book is available in most of the US bookstores as well as Amazon.

3 ~ Some of my illustrations have been featured in the beautiful cooking magazine Trois Fois Par Jour, the Spring 2017 edition, available here.

4 ~ I have been adding a few new 18’x24′ art posters in my shop, like this “HOME” poster.

5 ~ I illustrated a lovely article for the latest issue of Mollie Makes, that talks about the commuter makers and how to find time to get creative. Article words by Jessica Bateman. The magazine is available over here.

Happy first day of Spring! In the hopes of a warmer weather and lots of blooms, here is one of my latest illustrations. Watercolors and acrylic inks on Arches hot-pressed watercolor paper, 18 in x 24 in, 100% cotton, 300g.

Update: I created a few limited edition art posters, in the same size as the original, available here.

I am happy to announce that I recently opened a Spoonflower account that feature illustrated patters based on my original watercolors. I started with six designs that can be printed on fabric, wallpaper and wrapping paper. I am planning to make a few summer dresses for Emma using some of the printed fabrics, I am pretty excited. :)

My hope is to add more designs to the collection every few months, but for now you can check all the available patterns over here.

We spent last weekend cleaning our new/first back yard and made me look forward to warmer days when I can start giving gardening a try. I would like to start small with a few new flowers and maybe vegetables too, fingers crossed. I was drawing in my sketchbook the other day thinking about a few plants that I would like to illustrate for a potential print in our kitchen, but ended up drawing “garden ladies”. I started an 18″ x 24″ piece that I am working on in the evenings or early mornings when the kids are in bed. You can see a sneak peek in the last picture. :)

How are you guys doing? Anybody around here that has gardening experience and would like to give me some tips? Right now I am reading a few books and asking my mom and mom-in-law tons of questions since they are more experienced in this field.